4 Facts About Mona Mitterwallner’s MTB Cross-Country Marathon Win

Austrian cyclist Mona Mitterwallner took home gold in the 2023 UIC Elite MTB Marathon in Scotland. She crossed the finish line on Sunday, beating 50 other cyclists, in just over five hours. 

“Now I can again put on the rainbow chest,” said Mitterwallner after the race. She credited hard work and good luck to her success. “You have one day where everything has to come together and today it did!” she added. 

If you’ve never heard of Mitterwallner — or the MTB cross-country marathon for that matter — we’ll get you caught up. Here are four facts about Mona Mitterwallner. 

Mitterwallner finished 54 seconds ahead of everyone else

MItterwallner’s official time was 5 hours, 7 minutes and 50 seconds, which put her exactly 54 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Candice Lill, of South Africa. What’s more, she started in the 46th position. 

She is only 21 years old

At 21 years of age, Mitterwallner was the second youngest woman in the race. All of the other women who finished in the top 10 were between six and 18 years older than her. The actual youngest rider was 19-year-old Daphne Jones, of Great Britain. 

It’s her second time winning the race

Mitterwallner is no stranger to success. She’s an accomplished cyclist with dozens of championships under her belt. However, while she placed first in the mountain bike cross-country marathon in 2021 and 2023, she placed 8th last year.  

She’s ranked 7th in the world

With three wins and five top-three spots, Mitterwallner ranks 7th in the world among professional female mountain bikers, according to MTB Data. However, 2021 is still considered her best year on record as she won 15 out of the 22 races she competed in. 

Source: https://outdoors.com/4-facts-about-mona-mitterwallner/